The students at the next table laughed and chatted noisily while devouring their food. The kids were wearing the same school uniform as Haeju in his ID photo.
If not for the accident last December, Haeju would have also worn that same uniform, graduated safely, and roamed around a university campus. Since he was tall and handsome, he would have been popular and probably gotten a girlfriend quickly.
Yeojin was also a T University graduate, so he knew very well where the cherry blossom spots were. Around this time, when the cherry blossoms started blooming, he used to take walks along the flower paths.
Haeju would have also enjoyed college life wandering around the campus Yeojin had roamed. But if the accident hadn’t happened that day, he and Haeju wouldn’t have met like this.
Just then, one student came into the snack shop and joined the next table. He seemed to be their friend. The guy sat down, stole his friends’ tteokbokki, and blabbered.
“Hey. I saw a Transcendent yesterday.”
His friends’ eyes widened with interest. Yeojin also paid attention to the students’ conversation.
“Really? Where?”
“On the way back from my mom’s store, someone came running like crazy, pushed me, and ran past. The police were chasing after him. The bastard got caught before he could get far, but suddenly the police were twisting their bodies sharply among themselves and screaming. Like zombies. Turns out the bastard who got caught was a Transcendent and used his ability.”
“The police? Did they die?”
“They didn’t die. That bastard was running away again when suddenly a motorcycle appeared with a vroom and blocked his way. A bear-like bastard in black military uniform with even a bulletproof vest got off the motorcycle, and the Transcendent bastard couldn’t use his power on that guy.”
“That’s it. There’s a national special forces unit composed of Transcendents, right?”
“Yeah. I guess so. The Transcendent bastard got knocked out after getting hit once by that bear bastard. His body was damn good, his fist was amazing, and fuck, he was so cool.”
If the Marines catch ghosts, the NSP has the SP Special Task Suppression Unit that catches Transcendents. As the name suggests, it was a unit that caught Transcendents and suppressed large and small incidents caused by Transcendents.
Of the two choices the quarantined people at Seoul Temporary Quarantine Center could choose, becoming a Special Civil Servant was that method.
The student who witnessed the incident seemed to have sent the video he took yesterday to his friends’ phones. The students each took out their phones and looked at them.
“Hey, honestly, aren’t Transcendents fucking cool? They can use superpowers. I’m jealous.”
“If I got this kind of power, I’d kill all those bully bastards.”
Kids who had no idea about the discrimination Transcendents faced simply envied their superhuman strength. They acted like that because they didn’t know that if one Transcendent appeared in a family, the entire family would be disadvantaged. In the eyes of these immature kids, Transcendents would only look endlessly cool.
“But why do Transcendents appear?”
One student asked a very philosophical question.
“I don’t know, asshole. Just eat.”
The friend next to him stuffed tteokbokki into the guy’s mouth. The kids were busy eating snacks while only looking at their phones. Yeojin also drank water, got up, paid, and left the snack shop.
Where should I go now? He’d been to all the places he could go, so there was nowhere left to visit. He was about to think he should go home before he collapsed from exhaustion when it happened.
Suddenly Yeojin’s phone rang. He’d been ignoring calls from Director Im that kept coming since earlier.
There’s nowhere else to call anyway, so I might as well turn off the power completely. He took out his phone thinking this. But on the phone screen was an unfamiliar number. It was a phone number starting with 010, so thinking it might be about the delivery he ordered a few days ago, he answered the call.
“Hello.”
But there was no answer from the other end of the phone. What is this? Frowning, he spoke again, “Hello.” This time it was also quiet. A wrong number? I already have so much to think about, what bastard is this? Annoyed, he was about to hang up when he heard a sound from the other end of the phone.
Caw.
It was a crow’s cry. Yeojin grabbed the phone with both hands and ran to a deserted back alley. Only after confirming there was no one around did he try calling the name of the boy he missed.
“Haeju! Seo Haeju, is that you?”
Caw caw. Instead of an answer, only the crow cries rang loudly. The image of Haeju surrounded by crows was vividly drawn before his eyes. Still, he felt relieved thinking it was fortunate the boy wasn’t alone.
“Haeju, where are you now? Are you okay? Did you eat? Aren’t you cold?”
Haeju’s long breathing sound flowed from the phone.
“Haeju. Say something. Do you want to see me die from frustration?”
- Doctor.
Haeju called Yeojin in a crawling voice.
“Yes, it’s the doctor!”
- Doctor… are you okay?
“I’m not okay. The doctor hurts, a lot.”
Haeju raised his voice in surprise.
- Where does it hurt! Are you injured, Doctor?
“My heart.”
Ahhh… The boy hummed long as if troubled. A brief silence passed. Yeojin caught his breath a bit and then opened his mouth again.
“Haeju. From now on, listen carefully to what the doctor says.”
- Doctor. I’m sorry.
“I know. I know, so first…”
- The wristwatch you gave me broke.
“Is that important right now?”
- It’s important. It’s the birthday present you gave me. And me. Because I hurt you, Doctor, because I couldn’t control my strength, and the birds too, I was scared. I was really scared. I was scared I’d hurt you, Doctor, so I ran away. Because the birds attacked you too, Doctor. I didn’t run away by myself.
“Haeju. I know. I know. I know everything, so calm down and listen to me.”
- Doctor. Doctor. Don’t, don’t hate me.
Tears mixed into Haeju’s rambling, muttering voice.
- Because I suddenly kissed you, touched you all over, Doctor, you got angry. But you don’t hate me, right?
Was that licking like a dog a kiss? It was absurd.
- I used my strength and birds suddenly appeared and all that, so you were scared too, Doctor, right? You thought I was a monster like the other doctors, right? I hate this too. I didn’t want to have this kind of power either.
Huuu, a sobbing sound leaked out. Why are you crying again, heartbreakingly? Yeojin let out a short sigh, “Whew,” and roughly ran his fingers through his hair.
“I want to cry too, man.”
Along with the sound of “I’m sorry,” the sound of the boy sniffling came through.
“Don’t cry. Stop it. Stop!”
When Yeojin spoke in a stern voice, Haeju quickly swallowed his tears while even hiccupping.
“Seo Haeju. I don’t hate you. I don’t dislike you. I wasn’t scared at all. What’s there to be scared of? You’re still Seo Haeju. Did you suddenly become Yeonhaeju?”
- No. I’m still Seo Haeju.
“And you’re not a monster. Who called you a monster? Bring all those bastards. The doctor will scold them.”
- Really, you don’t hate me? You’re not scared?
“Yes.”
- That’s a relief. I was so scared that you’d hate me now, Doctor.
He was most scared that I’d hate him. This kid really does like me. There really is only me in this boy’s head. Does he even know how dangerous a situation he’s in right now? Absurdly, Yeojin burst into an empty laugh.
“Haeju. Do you like me that much?”
- Yes. I like you. I like you so much.
“I’m a man. You’re a man too. I have the same thing attached as you.”
- I know. I touched yours that time, Doctor, so I know.
“But you still like me?”
- It doesn’t matter.
“And I’m 12 years older than you.”
- What does it matter?
Why doesn’t it matter? I don’t understand what’s so good about a guy 12 years older than him that he’s acting like this.
“Seo Haeju. Are you gay?”
- Gay?
“Do you like men?”
- I don’t like men. I hate men. They smell, they’re big, and they’re ugly. I like you because you’re you, Doctor. Because you’re pretty, Doctor!
I’m going crazy. This bastard is really a blockhead. There’s definitely a problem with his aesthetic sense.
Yeojin let out a long sigh. I can’t get through to him. He’d heard people say he looked smart and handsome, but Haeju was the first to say he was pretty. He decided to deal with the boy’s sexual orientation problem later and first addressed the important issue.
“Anyway, Haeju. From now on, don’t say anything else and just answer what the doctor asks.”
- Yes!
He answers enthusiastically.
“Where are you now? And whose phone is this?”
- A mountain. I was hiding in an empty house, but the police found me, so I ran to the mountains. I picked up the phone on the street.
This is ridiculous. Who drops their phone on the street and leaves it? He must have stolen it from somewhere.
“Which mountain? Are those birds with you?”
He didn’t even need to hear the answer. Cawing bird sounds echoed from the other end of the phone.
- I don’t know which mountain it is. I can see downtown Seoul from the mountain.
How many mountains can you see downtown Seoul from? Maybe it’s Seokchisan near the center? Without a car, he couldn’t have gone far on foot.
“You did well running to the mountains. If you’re in the city center with the birds, you’ll stand out too much, so the mountains are better. They’re good for hiding too. And you did well not killing the soldiers at the center that day.”
- You told me not to hurt people, Doctor. I wanted to kill all the bastards who hit you, but I held back with great difficulty.
“Yes. Good job, our Haeju. You did very well.”
When he praised him, Haeju laughed, “Hehehe.” He’s happy. While I’m about to die from how serious this is.
